2024-10-03 3:26:44 ¶ ●

If Will came to Hannibal for therapy after being abused by another person, Hannibal would have coached him to kill that person as part of his therapy. The reality is that Hannibal is the perpetrator of violence in Will’s life, and so if he was loyal to his ideals, he must guide Will to kill him. But he doesn’t want to die—and there lies the conundrum. On the one hand, he’s urging Margot to kill Mason. It’s good for recovery. He must urge Will to kill Hannibal himself, but he doesn’t do it fully. Instead he understands Will’s desire to kill him and asks him to draw from it. Imagine doing it. How will you do it—with your hands? Close your eyes and imagine righting a wrong. Come on, do it. Do it do it do it. Now hone that thought, sharpen its teeth. Push it into someone else’s guts. And it’s seduction right? He’s essentially playing with a blade, pressing it into his thumb just so it breaks skin but doesn’t draw blood. Hannibal’s mind is flexible, plastic, and I think this is such a good instance of showcasing his fluidity and selfishness and spontaneity. I really think he wouldn’t have minded if Will came to kill him. He’d still adore him. But because it was betrayal instead, he reacts so badly in Mizumono.